


Shadows

by sammysouffle



Category: Hollyoaks
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Dark, Domestic Violence, Hurt James, Hurt Liam, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Nightmares, Post-Prison, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Violence, difficult conversations
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-24
Updated: 2020-03-24
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:22:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23292403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sammysouffle/pseuds/sammysouffle
Summary: Liam's demons make him do things he is not proud of.
Relationships: James Nightingale/Liam Donovan, Liam Donovan & James Nightingale
Comments: 1
Kudos: 10





	Shadows

**Author's Note:**

> I don't think I can write anything that's not angsty ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

His chest is heavy. Like a three-ton boulder that he can’t move has been placed on it. He cowers on the floor, protecting his head and face as the blows land on his stomach, his legs. They feel surreal like he’s not even there.

The pain is almost phantom but somehow very real. He just wants it to end. Maybe it will if he can just move this boulder from his chest. He can crawl away, escape these men. But they are a blur. He doesn’t know if a blow to his head has rendered him blind but he can’t see them.

“Liam,” a voice, like an echo, hits his ears. The voice provides him comfort. He wants to get up. But he can’t move. The heaviness is still there.

“Liam! Wake up!” The voice gets closer.

The gasps for air when the boulder finally lifts off his chest. But he suddenly finds himself surrounded by complete darkness. He tries to catch a breath but his chest burns and the air feels scarce around him. There is also a tall, ominous silhouette over him.

He hooks an arm and a leg around the silhouette and flips them over, but he's suddenly falling, taking the other person down with him. He doesn’t feel anything when they land but the person under him lets out a loud, pained “oof”.

Liam doesn't waste any time. His trembling hands wrap around the person's neck and he squeezes hard. The person struggles under him. Kicks at him. He feels this kick. It’s different from the ones before. This feels more desperate than deliberate. 

Hits land on his hands but Liam ignores them. They're nothing compared to what this man will put him through if he lets him go. He needs to save himself. It’s the only way to survive here.

A sudden heavy push loosens his grip. Another hard push follows suit making him lose control and hit something hard. An “oof” escapes his own throat when pain rises in his ribs and knee.

It's almost like a blindfold suddenly lifts from his eyes. He looks around and finds himself in a familiar and room. His room. It wasn’t the prison cafeteria. Liam's eyes land on the figure in front of him and he feels a sudden lump in his throat. "James"

His boyfriend is on the other side of the floor, coughing his lungs out, trying to catch his own breath. “James-” Liam moves towards him, ignoring the pain in his ribs but James just crawls away from him, putting a greater distance between them. He presses himself against the bed and brings his legs up to his chest. The tall man appears smaller and vulnerable and bile rises in Liam's throat at the thought that he is the reason behind it.

Liam’s hand finds its way to his hair and pulls at it trying to fathom what just happened. This was clearly another one of his nightmares. Ones he’s been getting since he got out of prison.

He holds onto his ribs and drags himself back, to give James more space. His back lands against the bedroom door and he just stays there, holding his breath. The longer the silence between them the colder Liam feels on the inside.

“Ja-”

“Get out.”

The words are soft yet steely. There are no emotions behind them. Liam doesn’t know how James will react if he doesn’t listen so he slowly hauls himself off the ground and whispers an “I’m sorry” under his breath on his way out.


End file.
